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So Helen didn’t keep an impeccable office. Neither did Monique most days. She looked at the stacks of papers on her desk and smiled. At least hers was an organized chaos.
The curlers in her hair pulled against her scalp. Little curlers that would turn her hair into a fountain of bouncy springs. She hadn’t curled her hair in so long that she wanted to test it out before styling it for her date with Helen that weekend.
Yes,weekend, because Monique wanted to see her that badly. So badly that she would leave her Manoir to the mercy of June, who cleared her appointments that weekend to fill in for Monique.I need a reliable back up anyway.It had been foolish to not think about that. What if she got sick? Had to fly for a family emergency? Decided to take a real vacation? Helen was a convenient excuse to start training someone to fill in on the busy nights. Everyone liked June.She’ll be fine.
To take her mind off any regret she already had, Monique pulled one of her monogrammed papers toward her and a ballpoint pen out of a drawer.
Before she saw Helen that weekend, there was one thing she had to make very, very clear. And Monique was not used to expressing herself and her needs out loud.
“Dearest Helen,” she began, her steady hand moving across the paper. “I’ve very much enjoyed our time together…”
Monique stopped writing. This was going to be harder than she anticipated.
The phone rang.
She jumped, her hand slamming down onto her phone anyway. “Hello?” she greeted, dropping her pen. The phone pressed against her curlers. “This is Monique Grant.”
“You really should set a ringtone for me. I hear that’s a thing you can do these days.”
Monique softened at the sound of Helen’s voice. “Funny you should call right now. I was just writing you a letter.”
“As much as I love your beautiful handwriting, I much prefer listening to your lovely voice. Hence why I called.”
“Are you busy?”
“I should be asking you that. I’m calling, so I must not be too busy.”
“I’m not busy. Slow day.”
“Yes, Monday. You don’t know how much I would have rather driven down to pick you up again instead of talking shop with a bunch of stuffy nobodies. One of my companies is buying out Grand Wires. You know, that dying electronics store.”
“I may have heard of it.”
“Apparently, we need more retail stores to sell smart phones and tablets in. Maybe I’ll get you one. Have it set up so the camera is always going, and I can peek at you whenever I want.”
“Coming from anyone else, that would be creepy.”
“Pretty sure it’s creepy coming from me as well.” Helen drank something on the other line. Bourbon? Water? Whatever it was, Monique wished she could pour Helen another glass. “How is my princess doing in her palace? No dragons, are there?”
Funny she should say that.Monique frowned. “No. No dragons.” At least Jacqueline had yet to send another threatening letter. “There is something I need to talk to you about.”
A pause lingered on the line. “What is it?” Helen’s voice was soft for a hard-working woman at four on a Monday.
“It’s about… well, us.”
Her conversation with Etta the day before still bounced around her mind.“She needs to know what you need from her, Monique. Contrary to popular belief, we rich women don’t like to play mind readers. Just be upfront.”
Helen didn’t sound perturbed. “Tell me.”
Monique inhaled a deep breath, her resolve better suited for pen and paper than a phone conversation. “After what happened Tuesday night… you know, at Midnight…”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking. A lot. Because I’m always thinking about her.” Somehow it shamed her to admit it.
“I understand.”
“No, you don’t.”
